Harper Applauds Passage of H.R. 3463

WASHINGTON – Today, Subcommittee on Elections Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3463, legislation expected to save taxpayers $480 million and reduce the deficit by $199 million by eliminating the taxpayer subsidization of presidential campaigns and the obsolete Election Assistance Commission:

“This country is on the brink of a European-style fiscal crisis, making the decision to shut down an unpopular, ineffective program and an obsolete agency about as easy as it gets.

“Since 1976, taxpayers have spent 1.5 billion dollars subsidizing a campaign finance program that hasn’t worked. Since 2005, we’ve spent tens of millions funding an agency that, despite its dwindling responsibilities, has more than doubled in size. And today, the House voted to end both.

“These types of cuts – eliminating unutilized, non-effective programs – are exactly what we need to rein in Washington’s out-of-control spending. I thank my colleagues for supporting this bill and encourage swift adoption of these important measures.”